How do I join?

We strongly recommend that all join BAOC through British Orienteering (BO), who then administer members’ personnel data and provide more varied ways of paying (on-line, credit/debit card, cheque or Direct Debit payments); BAOC still receive the full membership fee. Details and instructions are provided on the BO Join Us webpage. Those who wish to join BAOC as a Second Club may contact the Secretary (secretary@baoc.info) directly; details for an electronic bank payment for the membership fee will then be provided.

Why join British Orienteering?

Individuals do not benefit from joining just BAOC. Participants in Military League events, which are organised under the auspices of the official Army Orienteering Association (AOA), do not need to be members of BAOC. After 3 ‘introductory’ events, a non-BO member will not be covered by BO Third Party insurance, quite apart from the other benefits and discounts, which can be viewed at Member Discounts. Non-BO members, even if BAOC members, will still be liable for the extra £2 entry fee where charged by the organising club.

Who can join BAOC?

Membership is open to all present or past Army (Regular, Reserve and Cadet Forces) personnel, their families and dependants and others who have clear connections with Army orienteering. Annual membership runs from 1 January to 31 December each year, although new members can join from 1 November of the previous year.

What does it cost?

BAOC Membership Fee:

Seniors (21 years old or older on 31 Dec 17): £5 per calendar year (2017)

Juniors (20 years old or younger on 31 Dec 17): £nil per calendar year (2017)

British Orienteering Membership Fee:

Seniors (21 years old or older on 31 Dec 17): £10 per calendar year (2017)

Juniors (20 years old or younger on 31 Dec 17): £3 per calendar year (2017)

There may also be a Regional Association fee depending on the Region you join.

British Orienteering accepts new memberships (and renewals) from 1 November for the following calendar year’s membership.

Which Region should I join?

The default Region for most BAOC members will be South Central (SCOA), for which there is no additional individual cost (there is a club levy). But otherwise each individual should affiliate to the Region in which they live and mostly orienteer, in order to benefit from regional support (particularly for those with young family members) and eligibility for appropriate Regional Championships.

What do I get as a BAOC member?

On joining BAOC you:

Become a member of the team.

Get subsidised entry and run as part of BAOC teams in relay events.

Can run in the club strip.

Can get plenty of information and advice on anything connected to orienteering.

What does the club do?

The club runs events in its own name, on behalf of the AOA, or BO and its regions. In recent years we have organised the British Sprint Championships (2015 – Aldershot) and the Harvester Relays (2012 – Bordon & 2013 – Longmoor) on behalf of BO and SCOA. In 2010 & 2011 we ran the national Peter Palmer Relays for juniors at Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell (East Midlands) and at Beacon Barracks in Stafford (West Midlands), as well as the Southern Night Championships at Bordon also in 2011.

The club is responsible for maintaining orienteering maps of a number of national areas, mainly on military training areas, and not limited to the south, such as: Longmoor & Woolmer, Bordon, Bramshott, Elstead, Drayton Down, Aldermarston, Caerwent and Swynnerton. Pickpit Hill near Tidworth is a new (2016) BAOC mapped area.

When there is demand, we enter teams of all ages in the major national relays: e.g. JK, British Championships, Harvester Relays, as well as the Scottish Relay Championships. We don’t normally enter the CompassSport Cup or Trophy, as our membership does not cover the range of age groups required to be competitive.

Can I join another British Orienteering club as well?

Most certainly: you can be a member of two clubs, as long as one is a Closed Club (with restricted membership such as BAOC, or university club) and the other Open (no membership restrictions). At national level relays you may only compete for one in any one calendar year, but this does not prevent running for one club in relays and another in the CompassSport Cup/Trophy. BAOC members and their families are strongly encouraged to compete for a Second Club in this event.

Membership of a local club is recommended where you wish to participate in local training and social events, as well as competing in e.g. CompassSport Cup/Trophy as a family.

We do not have a cheaper Second Club membership fee, due to the additional work required. Therefore most BAOC members join British Orienteering through BAOC and then also join either a local club where they are stationed or remain as a member of their original home club as a Second Club member. If however you do wish to join BAOC as your Second Club, then contact the Secretary (secretary@baoc.info).